Sweet Caroline
by Stephane Richer
Summary: Then spring became the summer. Who'd have believed you'd come along?


Sweet Caroline

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Neil Diamond's song "Sweet Caroline" or Bisco Hatori's manga _Ouran High School Host Club._

* * *

Hitachiin Kaoru could pinpoint, not that he ever would, mind you, especially not outside of his own mind, the exact moment he fell in love.

Hikaru had decided (he was always the one to decide things for both of them, despite Kaoru nominally deciding things half the time—every time he just went with what Hikaru would want to do) that they would join the Suoh boy's host club, alongside Suoh and three other high school boys who they knew in name only. Kaoru wanted to kick and scream and drag his feet; he didn't want to share his precious brother with anyone, but at the same time he knew that the day would have to come at some point, and it looked like it would be sooner rather than later. So Kaoru sucked it up and walked down to the school garden. In the distance, he could hear laughs and saw two blonde heads—one of them had to be Suoh—and a black one, and as they rounded the hill the twins saw three boys, one in a middle school uniform and two in high school uniforms, sitting on a picnic blanket. The blonde high schooler was tossing what looked like a pink pillow in the air repeatedly. The twins gave one another that look, reserved for just the two of them.

And then they saw him. Well, to put it more accurately, Hikaru saw him and kept walking but Kaoru Saw him and almost fell down. A slim, almost catlike bespectacled boy wearing the middle school uniform writing in a thin notebook, leaning in a tree a few yards closer to the twins than the picknickers.

Kaoru fervently hoped he was in the host club.

As they neared the boy, he gave them a nod. "The cherry blossoms are especially abundant this year."

* * *

Kaoru was about to graduate, and he didn't know if he wanted to go off to America, halfway around the world, even if it was with all of his friends, so maybe this would be goodbye for at least the very near future, and he just had to work up the courage.

Kyoya looked so stoic and picturesque, just the way he had on that first day, leaning on the same tree—had he...planned this? No way. Even someone as meticulous as Kyoya wouldn't have remembered that day—unless?

No. No false hope. Well, yes, yes false hope. Maybe that would help him work up the courage to go up and do it.

Nervously, unsteadily, Kaoru approached him. "Kyoya-sempai?"

"Mm?"

Kaoru gently placed a kiss on the other's lips. As he was about to break it, Kyoya held the pressure, kssing him back, and Kaoru grinned despite himself.

Then, Kyoya did break the kiss. "The cherry blossoms are especially abundant this year."

Kaoru gaped. "You too?"

"Of course."

* * *

It was fitting that they'd come back to Ouran for Tamaki's grandmother's funeral. The old woman had lived a long and fruitful life, setting the bar high for her son and grandson (though, as she had told them on her deathbed, she had no doubt that they would live up to the family name and succeed). She had instructed Tamaki very carefully not to cry and "cause unneccesary drama," and he was holding it together well, all things considered. Well, Haruhi was helping him with that. As Kaoru went to pay his condolences to Yuzuru and Anne-Sophie, Kyoya slipped off, probably to schmooze with a potential business partner. That wasn't a bad idea, actually, now that Kaoru thought about it, and after breifly talking with Tamaki's parents he spotted a model who would look great as the face of his mother's winter collection. It took a lot of flirting and hinting, but she agreed to give his mother a call (or, more likely, have her agent call his mother's secretary). Not long after that, he saw one of his father's best clients and quickly went over to greet him and exchange words.

One thing had led to another, but finally Kaoru freed himself from the throngs of high-society mourners and, out of habit, made a beeline for the garden. Kyoya, of course, was already there.

"So, the cherry blossoms," he waved a hand upward. "They're especially abundant this year, eh?"

Kyoya merely chuckled.

* * *

They'd been dating (should they really call it that at this point? Indecisive, casual people dated, the two of them practically cohabited at this point.) for way longer than Kyoya would like to admit. Their bonds went much deeper than some arbitrary infatuation, but...what was Kyoya afraid of, really? The wrong moment? Was there ever one right moment? Wasn't he Kyoya Ohtori? Couldn't he create a right moment whenever he damn well pleased?

Of course he could.

He managed to weasel his way out of a meeting and whisked Kaoru away from his work (a fairly simple task at that particular time because he was in-between big projects) and off into the limousine. When they stopped at the gates to Ouran, Kaoru raised an eyebrow but humoured Kyoya. The sky was dark and menacing, as if a black sheep might tear itself from the clouds and come charging through the campus, destroying everything in its wake.

It started to drizzle when they reached the Tree. Well, wasn't this perfect?

It would have to do.

"Kaoru."

"Mm?"

He sighed. The rain was starting to come down faster. Shit. "You are my right-hand man. My best friend. My lov—"

A crack of thunder echoed across the garden. The rain was coming down even harder, and the wind was picking up, sending droplets up against Kyoya's glasses so that he could hardly see.

"You are my lover, my best friend, the most important person in my life. Will you marry me?"

Kaoru just stared at him. At least, Kyoya thought that's where he was looking, but he couldn't be too sure.

"Look, I'm not gonna take no for an answer—" he started, but then a giant wad of pink blossoms blew into his mouth and Kyoya began to sputter.

Kaoru laughed as Kyoya irritatedly spit out the petals. "The cherry blossoms are abundant this year..."

"Is that a yes?"

"Of course."


End file.
